Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks
by CobaltTundra
Summary: Perhaps we only find out what's truly important in times of unexpected shift. Sonic learns this the hard way.
1. Lights in the Sky

_Lights in the Sky_

The sun had nearly traveled its course as it lowered beneath the tree line, but this made no difference to Sonic the Hedgehog. In fact, it was his favorite time of day. The multiple colors in the sky seemed to swirl together into multitudes of blurred layers as he ran - or rather - as he _flew_ down the gravel path. He admired the shades of pink and red that fell into his view.

_Such a wonderful contrast to the forest green and brown below. And this wind! It's so fluid and cool this late in the day. Why can't nature be this simple and pleasant all the time?_

This was what Sonic would think about on many of his evening treks through the forest. Hardly any of his friends would have ever believed it, but Sonic was indeed quite pensive as an individual. Amongst his friends and in all his battles with Dr. Eggman, one could easily identify him as the one with the laid-back personality. Practically everyone on Mobius believed he hadn't a care in the world - it was all about saving the day, assuring the safety of his friends, and doing an obscene amount of running.

But Sonic cared about a lot of things.

On this particular evening, he was running to get away from...well, pretty much everything. Earlier today he had made a fool out of Eggman. The lunatic scientist had unleashed a new robot nearly 20 stories high on the city of Station Square. The robot was rather lanky however, and Sonic easily spotted its weakness in coordination. It only took a quarter of an hour to lure Eggman and his creation to a section of the city where Sonic could easily pummel it to the ground. The robot was dismantled, the scientist absconded in a fit of rage, and the day was saved once again. He was congratulated by thousands and lauded as a hero, but this of course was not out of the ordinary. He was the hero of Mobius, plain and simple. There was nothing that he, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Cream, and the rest of his team could not do to save the innocent lives that Eggman constantly put in jeopardy.

_Or was there?_

This question bothered Sonic day in and day out. Everyone on Mobius believed he was an unstoppable force. Eggman would attempt to establish his Eggman Empire and Sonic would be there to thwart his plans - it was the status quo that couldn't be changed.

_But what if it did change? I'm not perfect, and although I can run faster than anyone, I'm not an omnipotent force...I can't run faster than fate. One day, Eggman will learn from his mistakes. He will pinpoint my weaknesses and he will focus all his energy on taking me down from the inside. His ambition blinds him now from defeating me, but he is clever. One day, he will set aside his own goals to focus on the one thing that obstructs his view: Me. He will plan, and I will be at the mercy of his mind. Maybe I will still be able to defeat him when he reaches this epiphany, but it certainly will not be easy._

_And if I am defeated. If I am seriously injured, or if I die: Who will save Mobius?_

_Everyone is so sheltered and so unprepared. Tails will be a strong opposing force for awhile, and so will Knuckles, and beyond that Amy and Cream might stand a chance - they're stronger than they look. But when Eggman figures them out too, what will stand in his way? _

_Everyone is counting on us, and we can't afford to let everyone down. How could anyone deal with all of that pressure? How can **I **deal with all that pressure? It's really not fair at all!_

Sonic stopped without warning. He stood in the middle of the path, hunched over and out of breath. It was strange for him to arrive at exhaustion so quickly, but the thoughts that gnawed at his conscious diverted all the energy he had. He really needed to set himself straight!

He decided he should probably make his way back to the city, but after another look at the dimming sky, he figured it would be helpful to take in his surroundings for awhile longer. He stepped off the path and strode through the woods for a little while until he came upon a decent grassy clearing. He laid back in the grass and took in all the lights in the sky.

Millions of bright dots in a field of pale, dark pink filled his gaze. It was simply stunning to see so many lights up there, especially when it was such a rarity to see any stars from the city. He could always count on the wilderness as a place to find beauty - a place to get away from it all. Isolation was what he cherished.

"Isolation". That brought a few more pressing thoughts to the hedgehog's mind. It was true that he had many friends, and he was very thankful for their company. The love of Mobius' citizens was a blessing as well and he took part in the happiness of those around him.

_But let's face it. I really am alone._

It seemed all too true in Sonic's mind. He was the one singled out to be the hero, and he was the one with an all too massive weight upon his shoulders. It was frustrating, to be expected to handle so much pressure. Even more frustrating was that he had no one to talk to about it. All of his friends believed in him just as much as everyone else - he couldn't possibly let them know he was doubtful about his abilities! The last thing he wanted to do was have his friends doubt him. Or to know he was scared.

_I'm so scared._

Sonic bit his lip as he shifted his gaze to from the sky to the edge of the tree line. Only a narrow strip of pale pink remained above the tips of the trees. If the strip had been a bit brighter, it would have matched the color of Amy Rose's quills.

_Amy Rose. That hedgehog..._

Sonic rolled his eyes at the thought. If there was anyone he wanted to confide in, she was certainly the worst choice. Him confiding in her would just be an invitation for her to strangle him again with one of her death glomps.

Why was she still chasing him around? It was true that they were good friends, and he wasn't outright hostile to her, but he also never gave indication that he would be interested in being any more that friends. Yet, there was Amy Rose, believing in a ship that never even sailed.

He had to admit though, when Amy wasn't busy chasing him,glomping him, or screaming his name, she was actually...

..._really sweet. Someone that could make anyone feel better in a serious situation. She's been a fantastic influence on Cream, and quite a helpful friend for Tails when I'm not around. Heck, she even gets along with Knuckles, and that's hard for anyone to do!_

_And, I guess, we're pretty good friends...if you look at it that way. When she isn't chasing me around and when's she's not attempting to fulfill her romantic fantasies - she's actually kind of nice to be around. In fact, in the few instances where I've been able to have an actual conversation with her, I've discovered that she's actually pretty deep._

_For instance, there was that time she told me the true reason she had chosen the hammer as her primary weapon. She said she felt weak - perhaps not physically, as her body had the demeanor to swing the mallet with great force - but mentally. She said she felt like she lacked the courage to save others, even though her will to do so was enormous. Through the use of the hammer, she felt like she could appear to be a hardened warrior, even though deep down inside she was terribly frightened._

_Then she told me she wasn't as scared anymore. She said she believed that ultimately, it was not the hammer that had quelled her fears, but instead her closest friends - Cream, Knuckles, Tails...and Me. And when she told me all of this, there was no hint of a romantic tinge to her words or a demeanor that implied she was only telling me this to get to my heart. Her words and thoughts were genuine, and in that moment, I felt more connected to her than I ever had before._

Sonic sat up from his makeshift bed of grass and looked out into the darkness. He was smiling, a remnant from one of his fondest memories of Amy. But the smile soon faded as he remembered why he was unwilling to actually to talk to her in the first place.

_But...she's such a nuisance. Honestly, we could be really good friends if she wasn't so infatuated, or must I even say **obsessed** with me! Unless by some miracle she's distracted enough not fall for her romantic impulses, we can never have those real conversations. If we could only have these conversations, just a few minutes of actual **talking**, I think things could be better between us._

_And with the limited possibilities of her being a good friend aside, she's too overzealous for me to handle. Like today? What the hell! She was bouncing off the walls cheering my victory, bombarding me with compliment after compliment after strangling hug-of-death! It's already hard enough to have everyone tying me down with the expectations of being a hero - I hardly need her to be annoying me every freaking moment of every freaking day!_

At this point, Sonic realized that all of his stress from worrying about Eggman and the future was slowly escalating into a volatile anger directed at Amy Rose. He knew it was wrong of him to get so mad at her so suddenly - she hadn't specifically done him wrong. But the longer he dwelled upon his thoughts, the more angry he became. It didn't matter if she was really a sweet individual. In this moment, she was the focus of his hatred, and his thoughts reached a point of no return.

He suddenly rose from the grassy clearing and found he was no longer comforted by the lights in the sky. The pale pink strip of light above the trees had vanished entirely.

Sonic began a brisk jog back to the forest trail which quickly turned into a solid run and finally, without warning, into a fierce sprint as his furious thoughts grew more intense.

_Didn't she know she was only adding on to this burden? How could she? She's so selfish, blinded by her own immature romantic aspirations. So what if she seems caring, it's all probably just some act to get closer to me anyway._

_She's such a nuisance._

_She's so ANNOYING!_

Sonic pushed himself even faster. The trees all blurred together into a palette of brown and evergreen. It was only instinct that was guiding him now, and if he could only see how the anger ravaged him, he might have found that what he was doing was dangerous. Not in the sense of an accident - his reflexes could prevent any possible collision with a tree. Rather, in the sense that he was making conclusions that he would probably regret.

_She's always so needy. She's always so tempered. She's so hard to deal with. _

_Ugh, she's SO hard to DEAL with. _

_I JUST DON'T WANT TO DEAL WITH HER ANYMORE!_

Sonic gritted his teeth and his eyes narrowed. He had allowed himself to slow down since he was approaching the city, but it did nothing to quell his anger. The stress from being the hero of Mobius had finally gotten to him.

And one pink hedgehog was paying the price.

_If I know one thing about Amy Rose, it's this. If she was not on our team anymore...if she had to leave for whatever reason...if she moved away to another city, another country, another planet, another goddamn alternate universe..._

_...I don't think I would miss her._

_Not one bit._

_Not even at all._


	2. The Fragile

_The Fragile_

Nothing could match the beauty of the forest, but Sonic figured that the city at night came pretty close.

He had climbed onto a lamppost and was sitting upon the upper ledge. The lamppost marked the summit of a small hill just outside the city limits. There wasn't a massive difference in elevation, but regardless, Sonic felt as though he was high above the city.

His gaze focused on the city beneath him, taking in the yellow dots of light that illuminated the buildings, the cars, the sidewalks, the people. It was all so beautiful. It was all so stunning. It was all so...chaotic.

Sonic had calmed a little after his momentary emotional breakdown in the forest, but his worries and anxieties continued to pick at his mind.

_You're not as strong as you think you are._

_Eggman will win, you will lose._

Sonic turned away from the city and looked at the pavement beneath him. A fall to the ground would hardly hurt him. In fact, the lamppost could probably be four times higher, and the drop would still inflict little damage upon him. He might bounce for moment and become a bit disoriented, but ultimately he'd be able to speed off like always. Could it really be possible, for someone as uniquely powerful as himself to become injured?

Of course Sonic knew he wasn't immortal. He was not disillusioned or full of himself. However, he did ponder what it would take to bring him down. For one thing, it certainly would not be the pavement beneath him.

But then again, the pavement beneath him wasn't trying to destroy him.

_You can't save everyone._

Sonic looked back at the city. Even at night, the streets were filled with people. They were coming home from work, going out to eat, assembling for a night on the town, or sometimes they were just walking, without any discernible purpose. It was a routine that Sonic observed every night - a process that rarely deviated from its course. Yet he knew how fragile this process really was. A wrong step of one of Eggman's robots and a delayed reaction from the blue blur, and one of those dots on the streets beneath him could vanish. Forever.

The logic of the situation was a nightmare for Sonic to behold. He gripped on the metal lamppost beneath him, starting to lose balance. Or was it the world around him that seemed unbalanced? He couldn't tell.

Everything was coming out of focus and Sonic couldn't help but close his eyes for a moment in an attempt to regain himself. But the damage had already been done, and with his defenses lowered, the scarier thoughts began to take hold.

_You can't save everyone._

_You can't even save yourself._

_And if you show one inkling of doubt, one snippet of fear, or one tiny bit of weakness, no one will stand by you._

_Your friends will lose their faith, and eventually they will turn on you._

_And you will be more alone then you ever have before. _

_Even more than you are right now._

Sonic was trembling. His grip on the lamppost had grown even tighter, and his eyes were tightly shut. The thoughts were taking over again. Except this time, he was becoming the target.

"NO! That's enough!"

Sonic's eyes flashed open, and he released his grip on the lamppost. No one had heard his sudden outburst, but it wouldn't have mattered because Sonic was in his own world. His face had contorted into an angry expression, as if he was prepared to stare something down into oblivion. It appeared, however, that he wasn't exactly sure where to be looking at all. It was difficult for him to direct his glare of anger anywhere, especially when the true target of his anger was himself.

_What am I doing? I'm Sonic the Hedgehog, the hero of Mobius, and here I am sitting on this lamppost feeling so sorry for myself. How pathetic! That's not who I am. I've never let my doubts bring me down. I've never been so foolish as to give them the satisfaction...the satisfaction to take me apart. Piece by piece. _

_But that's exactly what's happening to me now, isn't it? I'm changing._

_Oh God, why am I changing? _

_No! Stop thinking like this Sonic. This is so stupid. Even if you believe that Eggman is getting better, wallowing in your fears is not going to solve anything. You have to be logical, and you have to be yourself. You have all the qualities that make you the hero, and with those powers you can stop him. You just have stay on your feet and keep running with the flow. That's the only way out._

But honestly, Sonic couldn't see a way out. The harsh reality was that running with the flow wasn't going to be the ultimate solution. Not this time. It was so easy to believe that finding a way would be simple. I mean, it had always been that simple. Sonic wanted more than anything to convince himself that all would be well, and that it really would be that easy. Yet, without a proper solution in front of him, could he really be so sure?

In any case, Sonic realized that Eggman was no longer his main problem. He was becoming doubtful of himself, and the effect was taking a visible toll.

_I'm not getting anywhere by mulling this over by myself. I'll just wage an internal war forever, and maybe I'll fall even further? I need to talk to someone. Someone who will listen, even for just a moment. At least enough to make sense of all this and make it stop. For good. But how do I do that and still appear like me?_

The first name that popped into Sonic's mind was unexpected, yet it happened as if it were a natural reflex.

_Amy Rose?_

It all fell apart before Sonic gave the idea a proper thought.

_Ugh, no way. She wouldn't care or really be that helpful at all.  
><em>_I mean honestly, she's Amy Rose._

Sonic dismissed her before he could mentally rattle off the list of reasons why she would be an awful choice for a confidant. She wasn't worth his concern at the moment.

He scrolled through the list of his closest friends.

_Knuckles? Too judgmental. Cream? Too innocent. Tails?_

Tails. He was still quite young, but he had definitely grown intellectually in the past year. In fact, Sonic hardly thought of him as a young prodigy anymore, but more like an experienced colleague of his. No, more than that - as a brother. Had Tails experienced enough of the real world to truly understand Sonic's worries and concerns? Or would he be too naive to give these worries a serious thought. Most importantly though, would he still believe and trust in Sonic after hearing the sliver of doubt in the hedgehog's voice? Sonic was unsure, but at this point he found that he had no other options.

_It's off to Tails' workshop I guess. Whatever happens after I get there...that's just a mystery I'll have to solve on my own._

Sonic leapt from the lamppost onto the pavement below. He naturally landed on the ground with ease and started to take off, whizzing past tree after tree on the path to get back to the main road. He found that his vision was a bit blurrier than usual, so he took a moment to slow down and wipe his eyes clear.

_Wait, how did -?_

He came to a standstill and peered at his gloves. In the darkness, he could make out patches of dampened spots on the palm of his hand.

Had he really been crying?

* * *

><p><strong>Note: Originally, this was only one half of Chapter 2, but I figured it would make more sense to split up the chapter in order to make the transition easier. I know it's pretty short, but it is important for the setup of the story.<strong>

**Also, thanks for reading :).**


	3. Quasistatic

_Quasistatic_

Tails' workshop lay by the sea, nearly twenty miles outside of the city proper. Twenty miles was hardly a significant distance for Sonic to cover. In fact, even by the most scenic route he could make the trip in a few minutes.

This night was different though, and Sonic became increasingly aware that the world around him was slowly morphing into something foreign, something he couldn't quite explain. Something that frightened him deeply. The run to Tails' workshop seemed to stretch into an eternity. He became aware of every step he took and every breath he made, as if each iteration had some sort of dire importance. But of course it was only running. There wasn't anything unusual about running. There wasn't supposed to be anything unusual about running.

But there _was_ something unusual. Maybe he was just feeling off after having such a rough night of thinking and pondering and..._falling_. "Falling" was the only way he could describe the feeling, at least.

No, there was something more. He noticed he was running on edge and each movement seemed to have some sort of extra twitch to it. He was leaning just a bit more forward, and his arms seemed to be extended further out behind him. In any case, he was certainly tenser than he had ever been before. Why had his running technique altered in this way? Maybe it was instinctual, as if something unexpected was about to happen.

_But what could that be? It's not like Eggman is going to change overnight. In fact, he'll probably remain the same for at least the next few months. I really have no need to worry about him now. I can't afford to do that._

_But if it's not Eggman, what is it? Am I that worried about how Tails will react that it's forcing me to tense up like this? That's the most logical explanation I can think of._

_Still, I can't help but feel that I'm missing something..._

Sonic purposefully forced himself to stop running, for it was starting to make him feel uncomfortable. And that fact alone was cause to worry.

Yet there was hope just around the corner, for right across the way stood Tails' workshop - a metallic edifice surrounded entirely by grassy meadows and a steep cliff into the sea. It was no doubt a picturesque scene, but Sonic had long since abandoned any efforts to take note of the scenery around him. He dashed for the front entrance of the hangar area, but ground to a halt just short of the door. The lights were on inside the hangar, and Sonic knew for a fact that Tails would be up at this late hour. There was no way he would miss an opportunity to work on that biplane of his.

But Sonic just stood there, frozen to the spot. A million questions resurfaced all at once at it paralyzed him.

_How do I break it to him? Do I just casually weave it into normal conversation or should I just blatantly tell him that I don't think I'm capable of saving this planet forever. No, no way, I could never be that blatant about it. That would probably crush him! But won't telling him later on have the same effect? Ugh, there really isn't a right way to do this, is there? Hopefully it won't even matter. Tails has grown so much since we first met and he's been an essential part of the team. Not only that, but he probably has the strongest heart of anyone I've ever known. If there's anyone who could understand my predicament, it's him. No question about it._

_Right?_

Sonic was at the doorstep now, ready to knock at any moment. The hesitation was brutal, but Sonic had to fight it. There was no way he was going back to where he had been earlier that day. He took one final breath and swiftly knocked on the door three times. This was it. No going back now. With his fingers he began to count the seconds that had elapsed.

_One, two, three, maybe he left the lights on?_

_Four, five, six, it's definitely possible, Tails can be a scatterbrain sometimes..._

_Seven, eight, nine, maybe I should just leave..._

_Ten._

The door was thrust open, and in the doorway stood the fox with two tails. At first Tails looked a little bewildered to see his best friend standing at his doorstep, but all at once a smile stretched across his face.

"Sonic! What an awesome surprise! Sorry I took so long, I was working on the Tornado and I hardly heard your knock from across the hangar."

Sonic had been startled by Tails' sudden appearance, but he had quickly regained his composure before the fox could take notice. He faked his trademark smile.

"Ah, don't worry about it little buddy. I normally wouldn't be by this late anyway, but I saw the lights on so I thought I'd pay ya a visit!"

Sonic looked to the side, feeling a bit guilty. All of what he said was true of course, but they came with far deeper implications than he was letting on.

"Alrighty then, come on in!" said Tails with delight.

He motioned for Sonic to enter and Sonic walked through the doorway into the workshop. Sonic took a second to look in awe at the hangar before him. Tails had really done a number with his workshop - the large size of the building as well as the numerous planes, inventions, and mechanical equipment that took residence there were quite impressive. And all of it from floor to ceiling had been built by the fox himself!

The feeling of awe soon passed though, and Sonic remembered his problematic predicament.

_No, it's hardly a problem, it's just a phase I'm going through. Or something like that...I don't really know. In any case, it's not that big of a deal and I should just tell Tails outright that something is up and that I need to talk to him. It's easy, just a few words for my benefit. It'll be like ripping off a bandage. Come on Sonic, you're the blue blur, man up and just say something already!_

Sonic opened his mouth and turned to Tails, but was surprised to find that he wasn't where he thought he was. He pivoted around and searched aimlessly, confused and a little embarrassed for having not payed attention to what was going on around him.

"Hey Sonic, I'm over here!" Tails yelled from across the way. Sonic looked over and saw that his friend was already underneath the fuselage of the Tornado, wrench in hand. Sonic couldn't help but chuckle a bit. Tails was just obsessed over that biplane. It was amazing that he could leave his workshop now and then, considering how often he tinkered with it.

Sonic sped down the steps to where Tails was working, stopping by Tails' feet in a flash. "Psh, I knew you were there the whole time. I was just admiring your lovely hangar and its...uh...new paintjob!"

Tails gave a short laugh. "Sure Sonic, that's exactly what happened. No doubt about it. Case, closed!" Sonic smiled and gave Tails a playful kick. They could be on a horrendous planet millions of miles from home, fighting the worst of Eggman's robots, and Tails would still probably be able to make him smirk. It didn't take much to realize how invaluable of a friend Tails was.

_But we've never really had a conversation over something so serious before. At least, not about anything so personal. Is he the right one to talk to?_

Tails went back to wrenching components of his plane, and for awhile there was silence between the two. Tails was in his own little world of course, but for Sonic, the silence was unnerving. It was the perfect time to say something - anything - about what was going on inside his head, but Sonic was beginning to have doubts about opening up to Tails. The fear of messing up his friendship with Tails stood out in his mind, and it was obstructing Sonic from spitting out the words he desperately wanted to say.

_But if I don't tell him, what else can I do?_

Sonic took a deep breath. "Hey listen buddy, I came here tonight to-"

"I know Sonic, and I'm really sorry!" Tails suddenly exclaimed, still working on the fuselage.

"Huh, wait, what do you mean?" said Sonic bewildered.

"I know you came here to have some fun hanging out with me, but here I am wasting precious time on the Tornado! I'm sorry for being kind of a jerk. I mean, its not everyday you stop by since you're so busy and all, saving the world!"

"Oh no Tails, you're not being a jerk at all, I just-"

"It's alright though, I'm finished!" Tails interrupted, sliding out from underneath the plane. He stood up next to Sonic and turned to his most prized possession, a childish grin plastered on his face.

"Ah, doesn't it just look outstanding?".

Sonic halfheartedly nodded and added, "Uh, yeah, its definitely pretty cool. Pretty fast looking too...not as fast as me of course, but you know, it looks like it could fly at a decent pace." Tails psudo-punched him the shoulder for that remark.

"Yes Sonic, I know you're convinced that I'm going to marry this plane one day or something, but really, I think she can perform amazingly well. And who knows, maybe she'll go faster than you someday." Tails shot Sonic a daring chuckle and raised his eyebrows. Sonic rolled his eyes and looked away.

"Yeah, sure, whatever you say buddy."

He turned back to see Tails grinning, but the sight of his happiness suddenly made Sonic weary. He hoped to god that what he was going to say next wasn't going to take away his friend's cheerfulness.

"Anyways, I really need to-"

"Oh yeah, I'm sure you're painfully bored right now, huh, just standing here listening to me jammer on about the Tornado. I'm surprised you haven't started running around already! It's alright though, we can head up to the game room upstairs and play some Chaos Kart 64. I know you're the fastest thing alive, but how good are you with a controller, eh?"

Tails chuckled and turned away, prancing towards the metal staircase that led to the game room. Sonic sighed. Why didn't he just interrupt Tails in order to lay down the truth? His situation was probably far more important than anything Tails had to say.

_But I just don't have the heart to do that._

"Hey Sonic, are you coming?" Tails yelled from halfway up the stairs. "Or are you just too chicken to find out that I might be faster than you at Chaos Kart?" Tails gave him a mocking wink and Sonic had no choice but to chase him up to the game room. Sonic laughed as he caught up with Tails, knocking him to the side before "winning" the race to the game room. He looked so happy as he opened the door for Tails to enter, but inside he could feel the anxiety build.

_I'll tell him after we settle down a bit, and then I'm sure he'll be open to what I have to say._

_I hope._

/ / /

The tenth Chaos Kart Grand Prix was over, and while Sonic had been off to an energetic start in the first few matches, he tasted defeat for the seventh time in a row. Tails dropped his controller, stood up with his arms stretched in the air, and gave the most epic rendition of "We Are the Champions" that he could give. He hoped to entice a fit of hysterics out of the hedgehog, knowing full well that his emphasis on the "no time for losers" line as well as his admittedly horrid singing ability would drive his best friend mad! But to Tails' concerned surprise, Sonic hardly reacted to his cheers, save for a light chuckle and...was that a forced smile on Sonic's face?

Sonic could easily have smoked Tails in any of those matches. Speed was his game and he knew how to play it, even in a virtual world! But halfway through the fourth match, Sonic began to realize what he was actually doing. He was stalling, buying time, procrastinating from his initial objective. He was only playing the game as a way to avoid bringing up the question that worried him, and the response that was sure to follow. Sonic couldn't help but feel guilty. Procrastinating from work was one thing, but procrastinating from solving an internal problem, a problem that could affect other people besides himself - that was another situation entirely. That came with consequences.

Following the seventh match, Sonic gave up on trying to win entirely, deliberately running into Tails' traps and the course's obstacles. He hoped that, by not putting any effort into the game he was playing, he'd feel a bit better about not saying anything. He was only playing the game to let Tails win so that he could be happy. It seemed like a legitimate reason to postpone discussing the truly depressing details of Sonic's mind.

Unfortunately, it didn't work. However, it did seem to capture Tails' attention.

"Hey, are you doing ok? You seem rather...off. Did I hurt your feelings just now, because I totally didn't mean to! I was being pretty rude..." Tails said, frowning in self-lament.

Sonic was caught off-guard by Tails' sudden serious tone, and he snapped back into his default, reassuring mode.

"Oh, don't worry about that buddy, you weren't being rude at all! That victory song of yours was pretty hilarious! heh."

_Talk, Sonic, talk!_

Tails raised an eyebrow. Now he was certain that something was off. Sonic's smile was unmistakably artificial, and that chuckle that he just made? He definitely seemed unsure about something, but Tails had no idea what that could be.

"Are you sure you're ok? We can take a break and just chat for awhile if you feel like it. This game gets pretty boring after awhile anyway."

"Huh? Oh yeah, I feel completely fine." _FALSE._ "Just a little tired I guess." _What the hell are you doing? _"It's up to you what we should do next, I'm down with anything!" _What are you even saying? I'm down with almost nothing! I need to talk to you! I need to tell you everything!_

"Uh, alrighty then." Tails said, a little unsure. He wanted to pry a bit more out of him, but Tails decided that it was best to trust Sonic and move on. He didn't want to come off as nosy or anything. Besides, he couldn't think of anything that could bother Sonic anyway. At least to an extent where Sonic wouldn't say anything.

"How about we watch TV for a bit? I could make some popcorn and we could loaf around like couch-potatoes until kingdom come! Assuming of course that you can stay still for longer than a few minutes."

_Great, you lost your opportunity Mr. Bigshot. He was standing right there, perfectly willing to hear what you had to say, but you blew it. Now he's making jokes again. Why does he have to look so happy? I can just see it now, that smile of his, slowly being wiped away by what I have to say. Each element of his happiness stripped away, piece by piece, until he's left as his default self, taking in everything. _

_I don't want that to happen Tails. I really don't. You're my best friend._

_But I have to tell you now. It's now, or never._

_Now._

Sonic adjusted himself on the couch and turned to Tails, making sure to flash a smile to acknowledge his little taunt. Then he prepared for what seemed to be an ill-fated soliloquy.

"That sounds like a pretty good idea, but first Tails, listen. I've been meaning to talk to you about something...uh...something kind of important. It kinda has to do with earlier today, actually."

He was ready to explain it all when Tails suddenly jumped from his seat and with a joyful voice interrupted him.

"Oh my goodness, earlier today was so totally awesome! It seemed like Eggman was actually starting to win, but then you came in and totally wrecked him! He didn't even see it coming, and considering you kick his butt every single time, it's quite a feat that you were able to surprise him like that!"

Tails was pacing around the room whilst laying down compliment after compliment. Sonic tried to interrupt, but Tails was too excited to notice.

"Yeah, I guess that's true-"

"And then that spindash attack you used! I swear, that was probably the best execution of your attack yet! You were all like this, and this, and this, and then WHAM!" Tails punctuated his "WHAM" by slamming his fist onto the coffee table. "He was a goner."

"Yeah, he was a goner this time, but-"

"Ah, just thinking about today makes me so incredibly proud to be best friends with you. You're like, the hero of heroes! You're always there to save the day because you're so quick, and you always act like its not such a big deal, but it really is! Me, Amy, Knuckles, and Cream are there to help of course, but let's face it, you could probably save the day with your eyes closed!"

"Tails, wait, just-"

"You have all of Mobius rooting for you, and you know what, I might go as far as to say that I'm your biggest fan. Well, I might share that title with Amy...she sure was trying to get your attention today, wasn't she? But anyways, in all seriousness, I just want you to know that I really look up to you, and I think you truly are an amazing hero."

Tails stopped pacing and looked over at Sonic. Sonic was looking at the floor, hands clasped together, looking as though something awful had just happened. But how could that be, he had just let Sonic know how proud he was of him! Then Tails remembered that Sonic was about to tell him something before he went off on a long tangent.

"Ah, I'm sorry Sonic, I kind of got carried away there, didn't I? I hope I didn't push your patience or anything. Sometimes I talk a bit too much."

Sonic sat there motionless, eyes still aimed at the floor, hands still folded, mouth agape. He didn't react or say anything.

"Sonic? Hey Sonic, I'm really sorry. You can tell me what you wanted to tell me now, I'm not going to talk anymore."

"Huh?" Sonic broke from his seemingly trance-like state. It hadn't been a trance though. In fact, it had been all too real. Each word Tails had spoken had hit Sonic with the force of a bullet train. It was everything that Sonic had doubted about himself, compacted into one concentrated moment. The worst part was that the whole moment was intended to make him feel better.

_It's just too much. I do not want this. I can't say anything._

"Oh, don't worry about that, it was a pretty exciting battle, wasn't it! Definitely a justification for you to go off about it..." Turning to the ground, Sonic continued, "...and I'm glad that I've been so...inspirational...for you."

Tails looked a bit confused due to Sonic's odd reaction. "Uh yeah, I'm serious, you really do mean a lot! Um, but anyway, weren't you going to say something?"

"What?"

"Um, earlier you said that you needed to tell me something important, but I kind of cut you off before you told me. What was it?"

"Oh, that. Ah, I was just going to tell you that..."

_I can't._

"_..._that you did an excellent job of piloting the Tornado today! So much so that I think you deserve sort of a break. So, don't worry about sending in a mail-order for your replacement parts, I'll just fetch them for you!"

Tails eyes lit up, as Sonic knew they would. If he wasn't going to tell Tails the truth, he might as well tell him something that would make him happy.

"You'd really do that for me? Oh, that would be the biggest help! Thanks so much Sonic!"

Tails ran up and gave Sonic a big bear hug, smiling from ear to ear.

"No problem, you deserve it buddy." Sonic spoke in the clearest voice he could muster, but it was difficult because he was on the verge of another breakdown. The hurt was written all across his face.

As soon as Tails pulled away, Sonic stood up and headed straight for the kitchenette in the corner of the room, moving carefully to avoid making his face visible to his friend. Tails, confused as to why he had left so suddenly, was about to follow suit when Sonic suddenly called from behind, "You can sit down, I was just going to make...um...some popcorn! Do you have any popcorn around here?" Sonic started peeking into cabinets to give the impression that he was all about making popcorn.

"Oh, ok. Yeah, there's some in the cabinet on the left. There's low fat or extra butter. Choose wisely my friend!"

Sonic sighed as he grabbed a couple packets of extra butter popcorn and headed for the microwave, located conveniently behind a wall and out of sight from the rest of the game room. After throwing in the packets and starting the microwave, Sonic sat down on the counter in an attempt to think more clearly and logically about what had just happened.

_I can't allow myself to be hurt about this. Tails meant well with what he was saying, it was just delivered at the wrong time. I'm sure he'd still be open to hear what I have to say, he's a kind enough person to do that. It's just...no. I can't. I can't put him through all of my silly and messed up theories of what may or may not happen. At least, not now, when he's so thrilled about my latest success._

_It's alright though Sonic. Do you want to know why? It's because Tails will be there in the future, to talk to. You can make it alone, with all of these thoughts bottled up, just as long as you make sure to stay focused on the good things. Don't let yourself be discouraged. Hang out with Tails and play games with him. Continue to run through the forest at dusk. Go to parties with your friends. Have fun! Do things that will make you forget about this, at least until Tails is ready to talk. Then you can get the reassurance you need, or at least you'll figure out what to do. You have time anyway, right?_

_The fact that I'm ending all of my thoughts with questions is less than reassuring._

_But if I'm going to turn this around, I'm just going to have to believe that I'll get through with this later. I can make it for now. Go for it Sonic._

Sonic jumped down from the counter, now with at least a sliver of hope. He was still bummed out about what had just happened, but he wasn't going to concern Tails anymore. That was for sure.

Sonic took out the hot and popped popcorn from the microwave and poured it all into a large ceramic bowl. As he did so, he realized something else.

_Strange, why haven't I heard Tails in awhile? You'd think he'd come waltzing in here every minute or so, asking about food - he gets just as hungry as I do! Ah well, he's probably distracted by some engineering documentary of some sort._

Sonic stepped back into the game room with the bowl, only to find Tails sitting there, face as white as a sheet.

Alarmed and confused, Sonic set the bowl back on the counter. "Tails? Tails, what's wrong buddy? Uh, Mobius to Tails! ...Tails!"

He failed to respond, his eyes glued to the television set. It probably had some sort of news channel on, considering the monotonic drone of voices that Sonic could hear from the kitchenette. When Tails still didn't move, Sonic quickly paced over to him and crouched down.

"Seriously dude, what's wrong, you seem like you've just seen a ghost. Tails, look at me!"

Tails finally looked over at Sonic, but he still did not speak. All Sonic could see in the fox's eyes was genuine fear, the type of fear that comes from being caught completely off-guard. This concerned Sonic. He had been perfectly alright merely three minutes ago!

As if on cue, Tails pointed to the television set, and Sonic finally gave notice to the news program that was currently airing. The headline on the bottom of the screen was the first thing to catch his eye, "Metropolitan Underground Disaster, Death Toll Raised to 9".

Then he saw the images, and nothing could prepare him for the complete and utter devastation that he witnessed on the television screen. Train cars were stacked upon other cars like a leaning Jenga puzzle, and that part of the crash was the most orderly. Towards the front of what used to be this underground train, which apparently was about to enter a tunnel when it had completely derailed, was a car that was nearly ripped in half. Twisted and scorched metal could be seen everywhere, bent in every which way. The back of the front car had been completely crushed into the tunnel entrance wall like an accordion. The very front of the car had disintegrated completely. It was just...gone.

The wreckage held Sonic in awe. He was used to seeing such destruction, considering he punched out and dismembered robots for a living, but to see all of this graphic imagery in a setting outside of battle...it deeply unsettled him. He felt like he should be there. He knew it wasn't the fault of Eggman - the newscaster was going on about how a technical problem forced the train to speed up and derail. It was merely the product of faulting electrical boards, not malicious intent. But all the same, Sonic felt like it was his duty to protect the public, whether threatened by malicious intent or not.

As Sonic dwelled over this question of whether or not the public expected him to be there, the sound of a name suddenly grabbed his attention. More than that, it literally jerked him back to attention. It came from the newscaster...

"...Rose. Again, it is confirmed that Freedom Fighter Amy Rose has been involved in the devastating Underground crash that occurred earlier this evening, killing nine people with the death toll expected to rise. As you may know, Amy, a city local, is a close ally of Mobian hero Sonic the Hedgehog and his companions Miles Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, and Cream the Rabbit. Last year she earned the Metropolitan Medal for Valor and Service for saving the city during the Eggman Electrical Crisis, using her Piko-Piko hammer to demolish Eggman's electrical generator while the rest of the team went to track the notorious doctor down."

"Amy was seen here from footage earlier today, trying to capture the attention of the blue blur for reasons unknown before leaving the celebration. Witness reports claim that she was sitting in the second car of the blue line Underground train when a malfunction forced the train to derail and crash into the tunnel entrance leading to Spring Yard station. Her condition as of now is currently unknown."

_Amy Rose. Crash. Nine Dead. Currently Unknown._

_..._

Tails was the first to speak.

"S-Sonic...what...what should we do?".

However, when he looked over to where Sonic had just been sitting, all he saw was empty space. Sonic had gone, just as unexpectedly as he had come.

/ /

The pathway leading back into the city was dimly lit, making it dangerous to travel down it at a speed faster than jogging. But Sonic clearly disregarded his own safety as he barreled down the way, furiously launching his feet off the pavement with every stride. Sonic could already run extremely fast, but on an adrenaline rush, he was unstoppable.

Yet his mind could barely process anything.

_Amy Rose. Currently unknown. Nine dead. Train derailed. Amy Rose. Currently unknown._

_Dead._

_Derailed._

_Amy Rose._

_Unknown._

_Dead._

_No, she's not dead! Her condition is unknown. She could easily be fine without a scratch. She could watching that report from the comfort of her own home right now for all I know._

_Or she could be dead._

_But no, statistically it's unlikely! There must have been over a hundred people on that train and only nine are confirmed dead. That's a 90% chance that she's fine! But then there's a 10% chance that she's not. And...oh god...that 10% is going to increase, isn't it?_

Sonic refused to stop or slow down. Nothing was going to keep him from getting to the Spring Yard area. Yet, the more constructed and assembled his thoughts became, the more horrible and terrifying they were.

_She was standing next to me only six hours ago. I saw her...she was right there! Surely nothing that drastic could have happened in a matter of hours! Oh god. Oh god, what if she's still trapped underneath that rubble! The news said that they were still looking for survivors and...bodies. Or she could be in the hospital right now, suffering from countless injuries, writhing in pain. Agh, that's so terrible!_

Sonic tried his best to get rid of the image of Amy, afflicted with excruciating pain, strapped to a bed with monitors and IV drips everywhere. But it stuck, at least until a new image popped into his head.

_Or she could be one of the nine. She could be dead...Amy...dead right now! She could be at the Spring Yard morgue, laying motionless on a cold table. No lively personality left, only a stone cold shell of what Amy used be. And if she's dead that means...she won't talk to anyone, ever again. I won't be able to talk to her, ever again. She'll be...gone._

And that's when it really hit him.

_I can't believe the last thing I told her was to go away. Earlier today, when the attention was just too much, I had simply told her to leave. How cold-hearted of me! And then all of those awful things I thought about her! Cursing her out for being a nuisance, loathing her for being an annoying brat. But she wasn't an annoying brat at all...I was just so frustrated with everything. _

_I wanted her to go away and never return. How could have I thought that? What have you done, Sonic? You're so despicable!_

"LOOK OUT!" a shrill voice suddenly screamed.

Sonic quickly looked where he was going and narrowly avoided crashing into someone standing on the pathway. He skidded past the figure, using his feet to brake to a stop before hitting a tree just off the path. Frustrated with the near-miss slowing him down, he was about to take off when a familiar voice stopped him.

"Sonic? Wha...what are you doing here?"

Sonic looked behind him and in the dim lamplight, he could make out Cream the Rabbit, standing there, tears streaming down her face. _Had she heard of the crash too?_

"I was at Tails' workshop and I heard about what happened, so I'm going to-"

"But why are you here? I don't understand Sonic, why are you here?" Cream choked. She wiped the tears from her eyes, but she was still trembling too much to speak had been a bit startled by Cream's sudden interruption, but he continued.

"I'm not sure if I understand what you're asking me Cream. I'm here because I'm going into the city to find-"

"What are you talking about!" Cream snapped. "Aren't you supposed to be with Amy right now?"

Sonic looked puzzled, but all the same he remained somber. After all, he was still entirely distraught about the news he heard moments ago. "I know Cream, that's why I'm going back into the city to try and find her so I can make sure she's alright."

"No, that's not what I mean! You should be with Amy **now**. You should have been on that train with her! Why weren't you there?"

Sonic became increasingly nervous and looked around frantically for an answer he had no hope of finding. Cream was being awfully confusing, and why was she suddenly getting angry?

"I'm sorry Cream, I still don't understand what you're saying. What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about you, you heartless JERK!" Cream screamed. "I can't believe you didn't go with her!"

"Go with her? Go with her where? I really don't know what you're talking about Cream, honest!"

"Amy had been telling me for weeks about how she was planning on asking you out to the gardens at Green Hill today. She told me it wasn't even a date or anything like that, just a time for you two to hang out so she could get to know you better. She felt like you were starting to avoid her, and she was really staring to worry. What she really wants is to be better friends with you. At least, that's what she wanted..."

Cream started to sob again. Sonic walked slowly up to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"...Cream".

Cream jerked back and violently pushed him away. "You probably thought she was just going to ask you on another silly date, didn't you? You probably didn't even give her a chance to explain, did you? You probably assumed it was just Amy being Amy, but Sonic, she was really trying to be nice! And you pushed her away!"

Sonic thought back to earlier today, when he thought Amy was bombarding him with compliment after compliment because of the battle. But as he thought about it more and more, he realized that what he had thought happened did not actually occur. She had been giving him compliments, sure, but she was much more reserved about it than he originally remembered, and she seemed to be building up to a question of some sort. Cream was right. She was all too right. Amy Rose was just trying to be a good friend.

_I'm so, so, sorry Amy. You didn't deserve what I did to you._

Cream didn't stop. "You should have been there Sonic. You should have been on the train with her and you should have been there to protect her! YOU SHOULD HAVE SAVED HER SONIC!"

Cream was hysterical, but there was nothing Sonic could do about it. He deserved everything she launched at him. And the worst part was that he knew he needed to leave. There was no time to waste - he had to find Amy.

"I'm sorry Cream, I have to go," said Sonic regretfully as he turned away, breaking back into a run. It was then he noticed that he had began to tear up. There was no question about it now though, for he had a legitimate reason. One of his friends was in serious danger.

_And it's all my fault!_

Sonic sped away from Cream quickly, but he could still hear her last scream ring through the forest.

"WHY WEREN'T YOU THERE SONIC? WHY DIDN'T YOU SAVE HER?"

/


	4. Just Like You Imagined

_Just Like You Imagined_

Along the central boulevard of the city, everything moved at a slow and steady pace. The night was beginning to wind down as the glamor of the midnight hours transitioned to the peace of the dead hours. Most of the bars and clubs in the area had closed and the last few citizens were meandering their way back to the safety of their own homes, with varying degrees of success. Drivers were on their way home too, weary of the long day that had passed, each of them struggling to keep awake for just the last stretch of road home.

They wouldn't want to cause an accident or anything.

By the time Sonic the Hedgehog had left the trail and had entered onto the median of the central boulevard, hardly anyone was around to notice him. In fact, the only signs of life that the hedgehog encountered were the lights that illuminated the road. Streetlights, apartment lamps, neon lights, and traffic lights...all of them there to guide him, but useless to console him. They were more of hinderance actually, straining his eyesight, making his head ache more. As if it weren't already bursting with chaos at the moment.

His chest was aching so much as he ran, not from the strain of dashing left and right from intersection to intersection, but from fear and concern alone. It was normal for him to feel a bit of fear and a bit of concern whilst others were in the forefront of danger, but this was an entirely new experience for him. In most cases, he could predict when others were about to be threatened and he could react appropriately with a calculated solution. Carrying out that solution might have been difficult or time-consuming, but having that solution there in front of him reassured him.

This situation with Amy Rose could not be explained, because there was no explanation for it. It just happened. It happened so quickly and so suddenly that no amount of experience could prepare Sonic for the consequences. And this time, much to Sonic's distress, there was no solution, and there never would be a solution, because the problem had already passed. Amy Rose was involved in a train accident, and she was either dead or alive. Nothing he could do now would change that outcome, no matter how fast he ran.

For the first time in his life, speed was meaningless.

He turned a sharp corner at the intersection of 23rd and Genesis with a plume of dust in his wake. He knew he was nearing the crash site because he could start to smell it. The unmistakable rancid smell of smoke and burned debris was blanketed the air around him, and just a few blocks later Sonic could make out the plume of smoke ahead, illuminated by the streetlights and the multitude of police cars and fire engines that were already there. Despite the ominous sight ahead of him, Sonic kept pace for the last few blocks. He knew deep down that how fast he went hardly mattered, but this was Amy at the focus of his concern. At the very least, she deserved this urgency.

When Sonic arrived at the railroad clearing before the tunnel, he was brought to a standstill. The scene that lay before him was a complete mess. Most of the fires caused by the accident had been extinguished by now, but they left behind charred shells of train cars that would take several hours to remove, at least. The cars that hadn't been touched by fire were severely distorted, bent in strange ways and fractured all over. It was like a bomb had gone off, except instead of everything exploding into oblivion, everything remained here. Just for everyone to see.

Of course Sonic had seen carnage like this before. He dealt with twisted metal and charred machines almost every day fighting against Eggman's robots. Occasionally some of Eggman's robots would succeed in knocking down a building or an electrical tower, and then there would be loads of rubble everywhere. It never was a pretty scene, obviously, but it was never enough to unsettle him.

But this was different, because Amy had been in there. She had been a part of this hot mess of metal and debris. Sonic couldn't help but wonder what it must have been like, and his mind strayed from the scene...

_...What was it like, to be on that train, only seconds from disaster? She must have been just sitting there, legs crossed, staring out the window. Yeah, she must have been near the window, she loves observing nature just as much as I do. She was probably looking up at the sky, at those lovely shades of pink. She probably had her elbow propped on the windowsill, head upon her hand, just thinking and pondering. Was she thinking about what I did to her earlier today? How harsh I had been when I just completely blew her off? No, that couldn't have been the only thing. Maybe she had been thinking about something completely different...maybe a future hangout with Cream or a day at the beach? _

_I hope so._

_But...then it must have happened so quickly. She probably didn't know what was going on until it was halfway over. I know what it's like to bounce around so violently, but I've always been able to control it. This must have been at least ten times as worse. So many ways to get injured in a moving box. So many things to hit..._

Sonic frowned and shook his head. No, it was not going to help him at all to put himself in Amy's shoes. He had to focus right now, even more so than he had to back at Tails' workshop. These weren't petty problems he had to worry about now. These were real.

A quick jump over the guard rail sent Sonic sliding down the dirt hill from the road to the train tracks. Some firemen who had been congregated near the dirt hill were startled by the sudden plume of dust that coalesced in the distance, and they quickly glanced over to see who was intruding upon the derailment zone.

They didn't have to look very long to identify the intruder as none other than Sonic the Hedgehog! A wave of interest spread over the group, most of them fully aware of Sonic's many achievements and adventures. And now it seemed like they were finally going to be able to meet the blue blur himself because he was speeding right towards them! How exciting!

Or at least it would have been, had Sonic not interrupted all of their thoughts upon his arrival with a sudden and brunt, "Excuse me gentleman, but do any of you know where Amy Rose is or her current condition? Please, it's very urgent!"

The firemen were caught off-guard. 'Amy Rose'...where had some of them heard that name before? Oh, was she that pink hedgehog with the hammer that joined Sonic on some of his adventures? It was kind of hard to remember, all of those other names kind of got mixed up. "I'm sorry, who are you looking for exactly?" said the fireman at the front politely.

Now it was Sonic's turn to be caught off-guard, and not only that but fairly miffed. Obviously these men had known who he was right from the start, but how could they not know who Amy was!? She's just as an important member of the freedom fighter squad! But this was no time for argument, and it certainly wouldn't do any good to get angry at these firefighters who had done so much tonight, while he had done absolutely nothing.

Still, he needed an answer. "Her name is Amy Rose, but she normally goes by Amy. She's a freedom fighter like me and you have probably seen her before. She's a pink hedgehog who is about this high, wears red boots with a single vertical white strip down the middle and a red dress with a white border that comes down to about here, and has quills that are about shoulder-length. She has green eyes, gloves like these, and there might have been a large red and yellow hammer with her too since she can summon it in times of distress. Now, I know you all are busy standing around in this little group talking amongst yourselves, but if you notice the burning wreckage behind me you'll realize that is **important **that I find her now and learn of her condition, so I'm going to ask again. Where. Is. AMY. ROSE!?"

Sonic had definitely lost his cool at that last bit, but so what? He couldn't couldn't help himself. This was completely ridiculous. At least someone had to know where she was!

"Wait!" A faint voice yelled from a distance, "I think I saw her!" Sonic perked his ears and tried to locate the source of the voice, but he couldn't find anyone in particular. "Where are you? Come over here!" Sonic yelled in response.

In a few seconds time a small raccoon decked out in full fireman gear broke through the group to the front. He was assuredly smaller and younger than the others, but Sonic had a gut feeling that this fireman was definitely on top of things. Hopefully he knew something that could be of use?

The raccoon, out of breath from running back in his heavy uniform, took a moment to catch up with himself before sharing, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure was taken to Emerald Avenue. But Sonic you should know-"

The fireman had no time to finish because before he knew it, all that was left of Sonic was a blue streak pointed towards the road behind the dirt hill.

* * *

><p>The complicated grid of roads that formed the foundation of the city hardly did anything to slow Sonic now. He was running at full throttle, his feet beneath him a blur. However, he was more in control of himself than he had been for most of the night, because finally he had at least something to hold on to. And while that something wasn't exactly Amy yet, it was the next best thing: her location.<p>

A feeling of relief had gradually spread over him from head to toe ever since the fireman told him about Emerald Avenue. This was because he had traveled on Emerald Avenue many times before, and he knew for a fact that Emerald Avenue was the site of the regional Memorial Hospital. He knew its location on the road, what it looked like, where the different wings were, even a number of the people who worked there. But most importantly, he knew that it was a hospital, a place for people who were sick, hurt, or seriously injured. But nonetheless, a place for people who were alive. Amy Rose was alive! She wasn't one of the nine! She wasn't going to be at a morgue, she was going to be at a-.

And then it hit him, a realization he had not anticipated in the slightest.

_The morgue. The Spring Yard morgue. Isn't that also on...no...no no no it has to be on some other street. No way, it can't be on Emerald Avenue too!_

But it most certainly was, and Sonic's memory wasn't going to betray that bit of information from him, no matter how hard he tried to believe it wasn't true. The morgue was several blocks away from the hospital and the building wasn't as memorable from the street, but yeah, there was no mistaking it, both the hospital _and_ the morgue were on Emerald Avenue. Amy Rose's fate was suspended once again, taken away from Sonic's grasp.

Fear pierced his heart and completely eradicated what seemed like only a momentary feeling of relief. With it came the sense that he had, once again, lost total control. His lack of focus caused him to stumble once over and he almost lost his balance running, but with a quick leap he was able to save himself. To keep from ending up in an accident of his own, Sonic slowed his pace a bit, but he still soldiered on toward the morgue and the hospital. He was so close to his goal that there was clearly no possibility for stopping. Still, the thoughts and worries came back with twice their corrosive power. If only the stakes weren't so high and the situation wasn't so serious, he could just focus on getting to her!

_Okay, okay, breathe and let's think this through. The raccoon in the fire uniform said she was **taken** to Emerald Avenue. This means she didn't go of her own free will, so she was either unconscious, seriously injured, or...don't think about it. Anyway, she's definitely not out on her own without a scratch, so she has to be on Emerald. And then, didn't the raccoon say something else? I hardly remember it, something along the lines of 'you should know'...you should know what!? _

Sonic skidded around a tight street corner, narrowly missing the lamppost in place. He knew he was getting really close to Emerald Avenue, only a few blocks to go...

_Alright, well if he had something to add, and it went along the lines of 'you should know', it was probably some extra detail to Amy's location. So then if that's the case, then she's probably in the hospital since that building is separated into so many different divisions. Maybe he was trying to say she was in the Intensive Care Unit, or maybe she could be in the Recovery Ward. And it couldn't possibly be the morgue because...well...it's just the morgue! Only a ward for dead bodies there..._

_But wait, what if he wasn't giving an extra detail about her location, what if it was an extra detail about her condition. Some detail that would be important for me to know before finding Amy. If that's the case then...oh God she might be dead. If it was such a phrase like "you should know'', then that means the subject is serious, right? He wouldn't have just been like, 'you should know that Amy is fine', because he knew I would have assumed that anyway unless there was evidence to suggest otherwise._

_So then yeah, that's it. She's probably dead. She might have even have been gone before I had even wished for her to go. _

_I can't believe I actually did that._

_Are you happy now? You certainly got what you wished for. She's gone, off the team, and she's not coming back. Not even to visit or anything, it's over, she's gone forever._

_You'll never get to see her talk again, or jump, or kick, or move. You'll turn your head and she won't be there chasing you, declaring her love for you in the silliest of ways. She won't pull out her piko-piko hammer to threaten you anymore, and she won't be bossing you around anymore with her own ideas. And some of those were pretty good ideas..._

_She won't be there on the park bench, willing to just talk with you. Those hours of conversing, learning, getting to know each other, those are gone. She won't be there to tear up anymore when you reject her again and again, and she won't be there to feel broken when you blow her off without even listening. There won't even be a ghost of her left. She'll just be gone._

_Please be in that hospital, Amy. Just be there so I can talk to you, at least one more time, even if you don't want anything to do with me. It's terrible, I know it's terrible, but it's true; I didn't realize how important you were to me before. I took our entire friendship for granted. But I know now, I really do. Don't go away, please. Stay here with the rest of us! With me. I swear, I'll make it up to-_

Too distracted to avoid a crack of uneven pavement, his feet gave way underneath him and he tumbled to the ground before he could finish his internal plea. Momentum forced him into a number of summersaults before he finally came to rest with his face pushed into the ground. He let out a continuous moan as he struggled to get back on his feet. It wasn't a terribly painful fall, but he kind of wished it had been. He deserved it after all.

Sonic staggered back onto his feet and was about to take off again, regretfully in the direction of the morgue, when a surprising voice made him turn.

"Jeez Sonic, one of these days you ought to think about looking where you're going!"

Sonic could hardly believe it, but in the gleam of the streetlight he could clearly see Knuckles standing there, a smirk on his face. First Cream and now Knuckles - clearly the world was out to make Sonic feel as terribly as possible about the situation. That was the only discernible explanation Sonic could think of for him being in the city. He probably left his island to see what had happened with the train wreck and Amy, right? And knowing Knuckles, he was probably also there to berate Sonic about not being there. How perfect.

_But why is he smirking? Maybe he actually doesn't know?..._

_One way to find out._

"What are you doing here, Knuckles?" said Sonic as calmly as possible, a feat that required a good amount of concentration to say the least.

Knuckles wasn't buying it.

"Yeah, nice try Sonic, you're not going to cover up the fact that you fell flat on your face just now in front of me!" said Knuckles, chuckling with delight.

"Uh...yeah, heh, you got me!" said Sonic a bit hesitant, unsure of why Knuckles was so amused by him falling. Well, Sonic knew it was the whole ego thing that fueled Knuckles' amusement, but he would have expected the echidna to start his rampage of hate by now.

"Oh you bet I did, I'm going to remember this for a long time, don't you worry! But anyways, I'm here because I had to do some emergency grocery shopping." Knuckles lifted the plastic bags in his had to reinforce what was already obvious to Sonic by now. "I was out of grapes, so I called the Chaotix to fetch me some, but you know Charmy and Vector...they manage to screw _everything_ up somehow. Supposedly they misplaced the bag of grapes, but they've already used that excuse, and since they had that food fight last time..._ugh_." Knuckles rolled his eyes. "But anyway, I decided to take things into my own hands so here I am...off my lovely island..._grocery shopping_."

Knuckles knew it was his turn to be humiliated in this silly little ego war between them, but when he looked up at Sonic again he noticed he wasn't laughing or doing anything really. He was just looking off into space, obviously thinking deeply about something. And was he frowning too?

In the meantime, Sonic had realized that Knuckles was completely oblivious to the current situation, probably because he had only come down from his island just now. But now what to do? He still needed to get to Emerald Avenue, but he didn't want to have to explain that to Knuckles. But he couldn't think of waiting here, casually carrying on a conversation while the situation was in its current state. It felt so wrong not to be moving, and for more underlying reasons than just having the itch to run.

Sonic looked up and Knuckles was giving him a quizzical look. _Oh no, he's caught on._

"Alright Sonic, normally by now you'd be on your knees laughing at me or you'd be talking a mile a minute. But considering you're just standing there and the fact that _I've _been carrying on most of the conversation, something's up. Spit it out."

Sonic sighed, not looking forward to what he was about to say. "Look Knuckles, I'm sorry, but I can't really talk right now. Something terrible has happened, and I don't really have the time to explain all the details but...someone...is in trouble and, well, I think it might be too late and so I'm just really hoping it isn't."

A long pause and Sonic continued, half-chuckling to himself, "Yeah, I know, me...distraught? Who would have thought you'd see me like this. I'm sorry Knuckles, I don't mean to be rude, it's just...I think I'm going to have to go to the morgue now and I don't know if I'll like what I find there."

The quizzical expression that Knuckles had turned to one of sympathy. Sure, he and Sonic had their moments of being antagonistic towards each other, and their friendship wasn't exactly as straightforward as it could be, but wow, he could tell Sonic was going through something incredibly rough.

"I'm sorry Sonic, I didn't know the situation was so grim with you. Of course you can go ahead! Do you need to know how to get to the morgue from here? Do you want me to take you?"

"No, it's only a few blocks away, so I'm sure I can find it on my own. But thanks anyway..." spoke Sonic, grim.

Knuckles looked puzzled. "Huh, what do you mean? The morgue is on the other side of the city, at least fifteen miles from here."

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Well, yes, there's a morgue there too, but I'm talking about the Spring Yard morgue...that's on Emerald Avenue, right?"

Knuckles shook his head. "I mean it _was_, but that closed down months ago, remember? It failed regulations and they had to relocate everything to the main morgue in the city. You didn't know that?"

Sonic scratched his head in a moment of confusion, when suddenly his eyes got very big.

He remembered.

_Oh my god. He's completely right. The heat of the situation must have made me forget about it. It did close down, it was all over the news. It's only the hospital there now. So if that's true, and Amy's on the Emerald Avenue..._

_Amy's alive. _

_AMY'S ALIVE!_

Sonic was overcome with joy upon hearing the best news he had heard in what seemed like millennia. Without a thought he ran up to Knuckles and gave him the biggest bear hug. "Thank you Knuckles, thank you! You're absolutely the best!." Knuckles dropped his groceries, completely caught off guard. But after the initial pang of awkwardness, Knuckles was happy to reciprocate. He didn't know exactly what he had done, but Sonic was one of his best friends, and apparently he had just saved his well-being. In Knuckles' mind, he figured that was enough to justify giving his friend a pat on the back.

"Uh, you're welcome Sonic! I'm glad I could help." said Knuckles with the utmost sincerity.

Sonic pulled away and began to jog backwards, now in the direction of the hospital. "Oh you have no idea Knuckles, but you've really just changed everything. Thank you so much again and I'll catch up with you later, promise!." And without another word, Sonic was off in a blazing blue blur.

Knuckles stood there alone for a minute, still confused about the whole ordeal, trying to figure out why Sonic had wanted to go the morgue. But then he just shrugged and picked up his groceries, because obviously it didn't matter anymore. Sonic was overjoyed, and Knuckles knew that an overjoyed Sonic was bound to fix any terrible thing that may have happened.

And as Knuckles walked away heading back to his island, he thought about how distraught Sonic had been. It made him think about their friendship, and the possibility that maybe Knuckles was too rough on him sometimes? He made a mental note to tone the egotistical banter down a bit, because he realized that he liked being able to make Sonic happy. Even if he wanted to be better than Sonic at some things, when it came down to it, he wanted things to turn out well for his friend.

_Yeah...friend._

For a moment, Knuckles looked back over his shoulder, and in a voice so quiet, he sincerely said,  
>"Good luck, Sonic."<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Alright, so obviously I failed with updating this story. Sorry about that :. **

**However, I'm true to my word and this story shall be finished, and the next chapter will in fact be the last! I hope this chapter wasn't too dark or disturbing, but I wanted to include those elements to present the full effect. Also, having never witnessed a train wreck, I have no idea how realistic this. If it's not realistic at all, then please excuse my mistakes.**

**Hope you liked it! The final chapter will follow soon.**


	5. We Leave Alone

_...We Leave Alone_

Sonic could hardly contain his sense of relief as he raced toward the hospital entrance. Amy was alive, and not only that, she was being taken care of. In terms of her safety, it didn't matter that he had failed to be there for her. People, complete strangers, had been there for her. No personal connection was necessary, they just took her in, brought her to a place of safety, and maybe saved her life.

But...

It seemed wrong. Sonic knew that it was a preposterous thought, but still, its seemed wrong. He had been saving people for years. People he had never even seen before and probably never saw again after the fact. And yet...how was he not here for this? True, he had been away in the woods, trapped in a fury of his own self-pity. But if he hadn't been so dismissive of Amy...just maybe...just maybe he would have gone along with her.

Just thinking about that was frustrating. How did he let himself get so cold? He'd been friends with Amy for so many years, and while, yes, they had their differences, they still had a pretty strong connection.

Or so he thought...

_I wasn't there though, and it was because of how I thought of her that I wasn't there. Maybe we don't have that strong of a connection after all. How could I let myself get so mad at her? To wish that she was gone? How could I let myself go that far?_

_...Oh._

_I get it now. Of course it seemed like strong connection. She we always there, following me, saving the world with me, talking my ear off about...everything. Her motives, blatantly romantic. But...no, not completely romantic. On the subtler side, she was just trying be a good friend to me. And why wouldn't she try to be a good friend, everything was set for that sort of friendship. But I messed it up... I only saw the romantic advances, not the friendly gestures. I could have easily looked deeper, but I didn't because...I don't know, because I'm quick to conclusions? Yeah, that's probably it. Too bad I didn't have Tails to set me straight._

_From the very beginning I had classified her as someone I really didn't want to associate myself with. And because of this I fell into this mindset where everything she did was annoying, unhelpful, unpleasant. I should have caught myself... its really not like me to let something like that slide. But I assumed that's just how she was._

_I thought we had a strong connection, but that was a lie I made up for myself. I didn't really understand what was really going on between us. It wasn't just a one-sided romantic relationship. It was a one-sided friendship._

_That's why I let her down tonight and that's why I've been such a freaking prick. I had treated her like just another person...someone I could have saved, but at the same time, someone I could have easily missed._

_Well, not anymore. I'm going to show her I do care, that she's more to me than just another person. I'm going to fix this._

_Or...at least I'll do what I can. I owe her that much._

Sonic was at the entrance of the hospital now, and finally he found an opportunity to stop and catch his breath. He was still relieved that Amy was alive, of course! But all the same he still felt guilty and...a bit nervous? Would she really want to see him right now, in this situation? For all he knew, Amy had been expecting him to be her savior. What could he say if she held that against him? "I wasn't there for you because I thought you were annoying and I kind of wished you'd just go away"?

And then what about her condition? Jeez, he hadn't even thought of that. What if she was still unconscious? Or worse, what if she was in a coma? She could be alive, sure, but that didn't rule out anything serious...she could be in a lot of pain!

Nope. He wasn't going to go there. Not now. Right now he had something he needed to do. Getting to Amy. No more thoughts, no more doubts, no more predicting the future...it was all about the present. Hell, his motto was pretty much to "focus on the present".

Why was it so difficult now?

A deep breath and Sonic walked through the automatic double doors to find himself in the lobby of a very chaotic hospital. Doctors were scrambling this way and that, tending to patients with injuries ranging from the meekest cut to the deepest gash. IV's, gurneys, wheelchairs, clipboards, lab coats...they all moved around with some brownian motion that could not be defined. Everything sounded so disjointed, with patients moaning and crying and doctors speaking in hushed tones and technical babble. Nothing made sense there...to anyone.

He found the receptionist desk through the chaos, but of course there was no one there. He wasn't all that surprised. This was the closest hospital to the scene of the wreck, and accounting for how many people were on that train and how many of them were injured...this hospital was hopelessly understaffed. Alas, it seemed like Sonic was on his own to find Amy. A needle in a labyrinth of white walls and nonsense.

He started with the lobby, scanning over every patient he had passed on his way in. Most of these patients had only recently come in, and judging by what the firefighter had said back at the wreck, Amy had been sent here long ago. Still, Sonic wanted to be thorough. God forbid if he were to completely skip over her...

Fifteen minutes of searching yielded no results in the lobby, and he assured himself that he was thorough enough to determine that Amy was not there. Good, because the moaning and crying was starting to mess with his mind a bit. _Not going back there again.._.

A systematic approach seemed like the best way to solve this puzzle. He started meandering through the corridors of the first floor, peeking into rooms left unlocked. If he wanted to, he could speed through all these corridors in a matter of seconds, but he resisted the temptation. It was probably the most thorough search for a person that he had ever attempted. He didn't just look at everyone he found, he gave enough time to study that person. A check to make sure the quills were pink, a check to make sure the dress was red. A check for the gloves, a check for the headband. All of these checks failed sooner or later, but he made sure to go through the checklist every single time.

And yet he couldn't find Amy.

The second floor did not fare much better. In fact, the search went even slower as Sonic found himself hiding every so often from doctors who were making rounds. If they found him and asked what he was doing, he'd probably get kicked out of the higher floors and then he'd _really _be in trouble. Sure, he was Sonic the Hedgehog...but that didn't give him a free pass to every location. He knew that more than anybody, being the most frequent infiltrator at Eggman's various bases.

He also found on the second floor more patients that seemed...astray. There were various gurneys lined up along the sides of each hallway, but many of them seemed untended to. Most of these patients seemed to be sleeping...as far as he could tell...but those who were awake were obviously confused and anxious. Had they just been wheeled in and left there? He knew the hospital was short staffed, but still, the thought of being left alone in a state like that...

He hoped Amy was okay...

A total of fifteen minutes on the second floor, and Sonic still hadn't found Amy. His anxiety rose as he realized the third floor was the final one. Where could she be?

The third floor was rather desolate compared to the other two floors. Most of the corridors remained empty, and most of the rooms remained locked. This was probably a long-term care unit of the hospital, Sonic reasoned. So anyone from the Emergency Room probably wouldn't be around...

But he continued anyway, using his mental checklist to check off anyone he could find...mainly only patients he could see through the small windows that peered into the locked rooms. The light at the end of the tunnel was growing dim. Did he miss her somewhere? He couldn't believe that, considering how thorough he had been in covering the entire hospital from head to toe, but it was the only other possibility. Unless...she wasn't sent here at all. Maybe she ended up in an ambulance from a different hospital in the city and the firefighter had it wrong, in which case...there was nothing he could really do to find her.

Sonic let out a distressed sigh. On the bright side, he knew Amy was alive, so if he wasn't able to find her now, it would be alright in the long run. He wanted more than anything to find her now, but, with things looking as they were...it probably wasn't going to happen.

_God. Damnit._

He began to turn back the way he came, but a faint sound from behind him made him stop. It was almost inaudible, but yes, Sonic could hear something. He propped his ears, listening intently to the noise coming from somewhere in the confines of the corridor.

And then he heard words.

"Hey, wait, don't leave. Come back...please?"

Those words came from a very weak and raspy voice. A whisper almost unintelligible, yet it still sparked a connection in Sonic's mind. _That sounds like Amy_.

He turned around and in the dark corner at the end of the corridor, he could make out a single gurney, parked along the side, with a single occupant. He walked closer to the origin of the voice, and the voice took notice.

"Oh thank God...I've been up here...for awhile...are you...a doctor?..."

Yes, Sonic could start to make out the person lying on the gurney now. She was lying on her side, covered in a blanket, but he could easily see the short quills that fell upon her face. He wanted to take a closer look, but before he could make any more deductions, Sonic couldn't help but blurt out, "Amy?"

"...Sonic?"

A few feet from the gurney, Sonic found the light switches to the corridor and flipped them open.

He wasn't exactly sure what he expected. Maybe a smiling Amy, sitting on the gurney's edge, giving him a smirk with some sort of jab prepared. "Where've you been Sonic, usually you're the one waiting for me!" Maybe she'd have a couple of scratches on her face or legs, perhaps a bruise on her arm. Nothing serious really - it would be just Amy there to greet him like any other time. And then like a true nobleman, he'd be there to apologize and set things right...or at least he'd try to. Perhaps he could invoke a witty quip about being a scatterbrain...having a mind slower than his body? Something like that. He figured she'd be mad at first, probably. She had a pretty fierce temper...that's what made Amy who she was. But she'd turn around of course, Amy always did. Amy would accept his apology, he'd clear his name of any wrongdoing, and together they'd leave the hospital and finally, just maybe, Sonic could put his mind at ease for awhile.

There was no dramatic effect of the lights turning on one by one. No slow-mo reveal of the gurney with Amy there, arms open, relieved to see him again. In fact, there was nothing story-like about any of it at all. She was just there suddenly, lit by the normal artificial florescence of the hospital lights. She wasn't even looking at him.

Her injuries, as far as he could tell, weren't life-threatening, but they were certainly different from what he was expecting. The big gash across her forehead was the first thing that caught his attention...it was kind of hard to miss. There was a bandage wrapped around her head to cover it up, but it only made it more obvious how bad she had been hit, or sliced, or...whatever happened. Her face seemed okay at first glance, save for a few minor cuts to her cheek. And the rest of her...well, he couldn't quite see yet. Most of her body was covered hospital blankets.

He quickly moved to her, eager to see her up close, excited about hearing her voice. She was finally right there in front of him, his forgotten friend that he had all the sudden remembered. All at once he felt like he needed to say something...everything! About his guilt, how sorry he felt, his willingness to start their friendship over. But of course, Sonic knew that there were far higher priorities at hand.

"Amy! You're...here".

The hesitation in Sonic's voice came as Amy turned her head to face him. The expression on her face told him everything he needed to know. She was completely terrified. Her eyes were wide and gleaming, wet from recent tears, and her face was drawn of any color. She looked at Sonic and for what he saw, it seemed like she couldn't believe he was actually there. Her mouth opened a little, as if she was about to say something, but no words came out. And then her eyes darted around him on both sides, as if she was looking for a sign or another person.

"What is it Amy?"

Sonic looked behind him, but there wasn't anyone else in the corridor, and he certainly hadn't heard any footsteps. What was she looking for? He turned back to Amy, and to his surprise she was crying all of the sudden. But she was also smiling...

And then she finally spoke, but only in a very faint whisper, "Thank you Sonic. Thank you. Thank you...so much...for finding me."

That's when he realized what had happened to Amy.

"Oh my god, how long have you been up here?"

"I'm not sure...", and with that she grimaced as she recalled the hours that had passed. "I was on a train heading home...and then suddenly there was a loud noise...and I grabbed onto something and hit my head..." She removed her arm from beneath the blanket to touch her bandaged forehead. Sonic could see her arm was scratched up a bit too, but it wasn't broken at least. He also could see her neck, which appeared very badly bruised. That explained the whispering...

"...and then I woke up here...on this gurney...in this hallway. There weren't any doctors...or nurses...or anyone when I woke up,...I was just here...alone. And no one came Sonic! I've been here...for hours...and no one has come by...to check on me...or to tell me what's been going on. My head really hurts...and my throat really hurts..and I don't know if anything is broken..and I don't know if I'm internally bleeding or something...and Sonic,... it's really really scaring me!" Her whispering had risen in pitch so that her words were almost unintelligible, but Sonic understood. She looked like she wanted to say more, but instead she closed her eyes and covered her face with her free hand. She wanted to keep him from seeing her so emotionally distraught. _Why would she feel the need to hide that from me?_

There were a lot of things that Sonic needed to fix, and a lot of things that he really needed to say. And a lot of those things he knew would be complicated to explain, and getting himself excused from being a jerk, well...he wasn't sure how he was going to go about that. But in this moment, he knew he could help Amy, and that's all that mattered. Screw his well-being, she needed help. And who did people call on for help?

"Hey...Shhh, Amy. Amy, look at me". He took his hand and gently brushed the back of Amy's hand, not to startle her but to give her a message that it was okay to talk to him. She reluctantly moved her hand away and opened her eyes, but she looked to the side shamefully. _Why is she so ashamed? She didn't do anything wrong..._

"I'm sorry Sonic..."

"Hmm? Sorry for what?"

"For being just..." She paused, trying to think of the right phrase. "...a let down for you."

"Aw Amy. Don't be silly, you're definitely not-"

"I know all of this...has nothing to do with you...and we aren't fighting anybody but...but I know how much...you count on me...to be brave for things. And I try...to act brave as much as I can because...I want you to be proud of me. I don't want you to think...that I can't do it. But, the truth is...I'm not that brave,...I'm really not. And like,...right now I'm probably fine...and I probably just hit my head...and have a few bruises...but I'm still freaking out when really...I shouldn't care at all and..."

Her voice broke and she decided not to continue, turning her head away to hide her expression.

And so there it was. Amy was terrified for almost...no...for _exactly_ the same reasons. Sonic wasn't alone in his quest to prove himself...the anxiety between them was mutual. But what was even stranger was that Amy was trying to prove her worth...to _him_. He didn't expect that! Sonic always appreciated Amy's strength as a teammate, _always_. She could fight, and she could do it well and without any hesitation. But never in a million years would he think Amy, probably the most headstrong of them all, would be so worried about her abilities. She was sometimes bossy and annoying, yes, but regardless, she never let anyone _down_. _Ever_.

Maybe it was the same case for him?

Sonic contemplated this for a little while before he knew what to do. He reached over and took Amy's hand in his, and this time he left it there. The shock of Sonic's touch caused Amy to turn her head back, and she looked rather confused. Her cheeks might have gotten a bit red as well...

"Okay Amy. I'm going to wheel you downstairs to the lower levels, and I'm going to personally make sure that you receive the best care this hospital has to offer, and in no time you're going to be back on your feet, and out of this place, and you'll never have to think about this night again. But first I'm going to tell you something...is that okay?

Amy nodded.

"Okay, and if you want to respond, just squeeze my hand and nod or shake your head. I think your voice needs a little bit of a break."

Amy squeezed and nodded once more.

"I'm going to let you in on a little secret Amy. It's something I've never told anyone about...not even Tails. But I'm gonna tell you, because I think you're the right person to tell..."

He paused for a moment, fighting that last bit of hesitation to reveal it all. He looked at the ground, trying to think of the best way to put it. How does one go about revealing their emotional side, just like that? But then Amy squeezed his hand, and she nodded her head, and that was all that Sonic needed to continue.

"...I get scared too Amy. I get _really _scared, and I'm not just saying that to make you feel better, it's honestly true. I know I've always beaten Eggman, and that's something that isn't going to change anytime soon. Especially with you and everyone else on my side..."

Sonic smiled at Amy, and she managed to smile back, her cheeks getting a little red again. She squeezed his hand and nodded for him to continue.

"...But even though Eggman is an idiot and beating him isn't too difficult now...I feel like one day it might be. Like I'll fight him and, somehow, he'll win and then we're all sunk. And it would completely be my fault. It sounds ridiculous, I know, but I'm not perfect Amy. I don't think anyone is really..."

Sonic trailed off and looked to side again. Was he Embarrassed? Hurt? Perhaps a combination of those two, he didn't really know. He hoped he was going somewhere with this...he didn't want to make Amy feel worse.

Amy squeezed his hand, but this time she didn't move her head. This wasn't a response...it was reassurance. Something a friend would do for another friend.

Speaking of doing something for friends...

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, it's alright to be scared, Amy. It's perfectly alright. Things can happen so suddenly, so unexpectedly, that sometimes there's just no way for us to handle it. You were on a train one minute, and suddenly you were here and you didn't know what on earth was going on. That's really scary! I'd be really scared too. And actually, I was really scared...I didn't know where you were, or if you were okay..."

"...We can't be brave all the time, and I don't expect that of you. But you know what? You're brave enough, Amy. You're one of the bravest people I've ever met. You had a choice to go on adventures with me, and even further you had a choice to stay on the sidelines, but you refused Amy. Nope, you just brought out your hammer and started knocking all of those badniks to pieces. That takes a lot of guts...and you should be proud of yourself for that. To be real, you deserve more praise than I get!"

Amy squeezed and shook her head.

"No? You think I should get more praise? Mmm, I don't Amy. I'm not really sure I deserve it as much as other people deserve it. I save the day just as much as you and Tails and Knuckles do, but even further than that you communicate with everyone so well. You're so kind to people where I just kind of...keep to myself.

Amy squeezed and shook her head.

"But I do! And you know...well...I think I even alienate myself from my friends sometimes..."

He looked at her, and she understood what he meant. No need to say 'sorry'. Amy could just read it all there on his face. It wasn't enough for Amy to respond with a squeeze or a shaking of the head. So through the pain, she managed to speak.

"Sonic the Hedgehog. You're my best friend. Even a snarky hedgehog...like you..can't ever change that."

Amy fell silent again, but it was all Sonic needed to hear. In fact, deep inside, it was probably what he had _wanted_ to hear from her all along. Forgiveness was sweet.

And a chance to start again? Even sweeter.

Sonic smiled. Amy smiled. They both knew that things had just taken a turn towards the better, and this managed to push their worries to the side. They were going to make it, and even the scariest thing in existence, the fear of the unknown, wasn't going to stop them.

"Alright, enough of the secrets and sappiness, let's get you to a real doctor. The sooner you're outta here, the sooner we can go back to another adventure."

Amy let go of Sonic's hand and gave him a thumbs up and a wink. Sonic laughed. _Aw yeah. That's much more of my style. She knows me pretty well..._

Sonic went around and took a hold of Amy's gurney, and off they went back to the elevator. It seemed like the movement didn't cause Amy any discomfort, so he figured she was probably fine for the most part. A bruised throat, a scratched head, and maybe a broken bone perhaps, but she'd be okay. A day or two in the hospital and then...well what?

Sonic knew.

"Hey Amy."

Amy looked up at Sonic from her pillow. She blinked once, probably a sign for "yeah".

"You know the gardens at Green Hill? The ones by the water, I mean."

A nod. "Yes."

"I was thinking, maybe, when we aren't fighting any badniks or anything and Eggman isn't misbehaving, perhaps we could have a picnic there or something? I haven't been back there in ages, but someone told me it was a pretty nice place to...hang out..."

This was getting a little awkward. Sonic felt his cheeks get a little red. Uh-oh. He didn't want Amy to get _that_ idea. This was a friendly thing he was proposing...definitely a not-date. Although it would just be the two of them.

Amy's eyes opened wide in surprise. It was as if someone had read her mind! Her smile grew even wider and despite her bruised throat, she couldn't help but blurt out,

"Yes! Yes, I'd like that."

It was an enthusiastic 'yes,' no doubt, but it wasn't a "fan-girl squee" sort of 'yes'. There was no ulterior motive, she was genuinely excited about going to the gardens with him as himself. It didn't need to be a date...Sonic didn't need to be a lover...she was just happy with who he was.

"_Sonic the Hedgehog, you're my best friend. Not even a snarky hedgehog like you could ever change that." Not to worry Amy, I'm not ever going to ever change that. I promise you._

After a trip down the elevator, Sonic wheeled Amy into the lobby where a number of doctors were still busy tending to a number of patients. Fortunately, one of the doctors had just sent off a patient to another ward, so on his way back he spotted Amy and realized she had not been tended to. He walked up to the pair, a little confused.

"Hmmm, it seems someone has tended to your injuries, but someone forgot to put you in a room Mrs..."

"Her name's Amy Rose," clarified Sonic.

"Ah, Mrs. Rose then. And you are?"

"I'm a friend. A close friend..." Sonic glanced at Amy. There was no hiding her expression...she liked what he said.

"..But yes, she does need a room, can you find her space?"

The doctor scratched the back of his head, "It's a little crowded, but we were able to check out a few of the patients with more minor injuries, so everyone who has been stuck without a room should have one now. I'm going to have to do a quick follow through on Mrs. Rose though, so can I ask you to stay here for the moment, sir? It shouldn't be too long and a nurse will direct you to her room when I'm finished."

Sonic looked at Amy, a bit unsure, even though what the doctor had said made sense. He was really hesitant about leaving Amy so soon. But Amy nodded and gave Sonic a reassuring smile. "It'll be okay," she seemed to say.

"Alright, I can do that. I'll see ya real soon, Amy. Promise."

She winked back at him and gave him a small wave goodbye. And then she was gone again.

Sonic found a free chair in the corner of the lobby and sat down, exhausted. It had been such a long day, and all of the emotional turmoil that had caused him so much trouble earlier had been so taxing. Not to mention all of the fighting and running he had done today. But despite how tired he was, he was happy. Everything turned out alright. Amy was safe, their friendship was restored, and well...he felt a little better about himself. Telling Amy about his worries really lifted a burden off his shoulders. Everything he pointed out in her, about being scared and being brave...he could apply the same thing to himself.

His mind a little more at ease, Sonic began to drift off. But not before thinking about Amy again, and how thankful he was for what Amy had done for him. She might not have known it, but just being here...not dead, not gone, but here...had really made all the difference.

And so Sonic fell asleep, alone in the hospital lobby.

But he was never really alone.

Not really.

* * *

><p><strong>And that's the end! Sorry it took so long to write this story...I've never really written a whole story before and I've found its really hard for me to update such a project on a regular basis. I'll be sure to be more diligent with my next story though, not to worry ^.^<strong>.

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading! :)**


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